Combat: Skill Combat
This is a Skill Combat page. If you do not wish to use the Skill Combat rules variant, you should go back to Chapter III and read D20 Combat. Combat Rolling Rules To make an attack, you must roll the associated weapon skill using 1d100. One way to do this is with 2 d10s: pick two different d10s (preferably visibly different) and decide which is the 10s place and which is the 1s place. Now roll them. If the 10s place is a 0 (Or a 10, based on the label of the die), then that means the roll is between 1 and 9. You only get a 100 if both dice show 0s (or 10s) - all rolls are 1-100, not 0-99. Don’t feel bad, though. 100 is a critical failure. When you roll some DC, e.g. rolling a stat, you are trying to get a result AT OR BELOW the DC. For almost every case, rolling closer to 0 is better. And if you roll from 1 to your luck stat, you’ll score a critical. Combat’s Purpose Combat officially begins when one critter or Character decides that enough is enough and s/he/it attacks someone or something else (sometimes, attacks can be made on inanimate objects such as doors, and in this case the entire combat procedure is not necessary, unless combat is going on around the character attempting to break the door down). The critter or character that initiated combat gets the opportunity to use all of their Action Points (AP) before Sequence is determined. Combat in the Fallout world is not always the last solution; dead bodies can do more than stink. Combat is a tool that can get you out of trouble or in more trouble, based on the player’s choices. Jim the Raider, our sample Combatant To show the combat rules with actual numbers, here is a sample character. S.P.E.C.I.A.L 4.6.7.3.4.9.7 Health Points (HP) 15 + 4(STR) +14(ENx2) = 33---''(NOTE: Characters gain {3 + 1/2 EN} each time they level, rounding up on odd levels and down on even levels.)'' Armor Class (AC) 9(AG) +5 (Leather Jacket) = 14 Detection Class (DC) 6(PE) +2 (Leather Jacket) = 8 Judgment Class (JC) 3(CH) +2 (Leather Jacket) = 5 Action Points (AP) 5 + 4(AG/2, rounded down) + 3(EN/2, rounded down) = 12 Base AP Regen 3 + 9(AG) = +12 Walking AP Regen 3 + 4(AG/2 rounded down) = +7 Jogging AP Regen 4 (AG/2 rounded down) = +4 Carry Weight 25 + 100 (STRx25) = 125 lbs Melee Damage (MD) 4(STR) – 5 = 0---''(NOTE: Melee damage cannot be negative)'' Poison Resistance 35% (ENx5) Rad Resistance 14% (ENx2) Gas Resistance 0 Inhaled/0 Blistering Electric Resistance 0% Sequence 12 (PEx2) Healing Rate 2 (EN/3 round down) Critical Success Zone 0 + 7(LK) = 7% or less Critical Failure Zone 89 + 7(LK) = 96% or more Small Guns 12 (PEx2) + 18 (AGx2) = 30% Big Guns 4 (STR) + 14 (ENx2) + 6 (PE) = 24% Sequence Regardless of who begins combat, all participants must state a secondary stat… their Sequence. This determines turn order for the duration of the combat. Each combatant receives one turn in the sequence, which cycles from highest to lowest until combat ends. (NOTE: Combat ends when all aggressive targets surrender, are killed, or have fled) Action Points and the Turn During combat, each player’s turn is broken down using action points. The amount of action points (AP) a player has is (5 + (AG/2) + (EN/2)). While performing many actions may make combat easier, it generates a degree of fatigue. Being more nimble (Having a higher AG) reduces this, however. Fatigue is represented by the AP regeneration rate, which usually is just about enough to fill the AP bar… so long as you stand still. Movement If moving, the distance you travel is directly related to the amount of AP recovery you surrender. Walking up to 2 hexes reduces AP recovery to (3 + AG/2, rounded down). Jogging 3-4 hexes reduces it to just (AG/2, rounded down). Running 5 hexes stops AP recovery completely for the turn. And sprinting additional hexes costs 2 AP each hex, as well as stops AP recovery. Inventory Management Just like in the original Fallout, any item management you need to do for the turn involves opening up the inventory, which takes 4 AP. You can set up two sets of readied equipment to be used as you please, drop items, or utilize fast disposables like Stimpaks or Jet. Inventory Management does not just apply to your inventory, though. Pickpocketing, planting grenades, looting bodies, opening lockers, and pretty much any form of item swapping all cost 4 AP. Picking up dropped items, however, only costs 1 AP. Increasing AC (For the turn) AC can be improved by 1% for each point of AP spent for that intent. Player may use this to use up excess AP for the round, or possibly if a big attack is expected. The AC bump only lasts until that player’s next turn. Taking Actions Every possible action during combat uses a set amount of AP, determined by the weapon or item used and the complexity of the action (Such as making a targeted shot instead of a potshot or a burst shot). Quick-Shot Let’s say our raider Jim is firing his 10mm pistol at a deathclaw. The 10mm pistol, being a small firearm, has an AP cost to quick-fire of 3. Since it’s a pot shot, there is no extra AP cost. If he wanted, Jim could take 4 shots during his turn, and still have full AP next turn (His high AG sees to that). We’ll say he does, as well as jogs toward the deathclaw. That puts him at 0 AP, but he’ll get +4 to that on his next turn. So, to review, his action had a specific AP cost (3 AP), and his motion changed which AP regen equation he could use (He moves 3 spaces, so he uses the Jog AP Regen value, which is +4). Hitting with a Quick-shot With an quick-shot action, a player must take their associated weapon skill (In the case of Jim’s attacks, this would be Small Guns), then subtract the AC of their target. Finally, any range penalties or bonuses need to be added to the skill (Take the range of the weapon, and subtract the distance in hexes the player is from the target. Multiply the result by the weapon's range volatility {In Jim's case, 3%}, and add it to your skill. This will increase the skill for closer targets, and decrease it for more distant targets). To hit, a player must roll AT OR BELOW the resulting number. NOTE: Add (PE/2, rounded down) to the range of any weapon used. Obviously, don’t add it to melee weapons. Jim’s pistol has a range of 7, and with his perception that makes the total range 10. He is standing 3 hexes away from his target. 10-3 = 7, and 7x3% = +21% to the Small Guns skill for these attacks. We haven’t given the deathclaw an AC yet, but let’s say that it is 7. Jim’s small guns started at 30%, went up to 51% because of range, and then dropped to 44% because of the target’s AC. That means that to hit, he must roll a 44 or less on percentile dice (2d10), or in other words it means he has a 44% chance to hit. If Jim were to roll a 24, then a 46, then a 6, and finally a 97, he would have a standard hit, a miss, a critical hit, and a critical miss (respectively). These four attacks hit at 20% proficiency (44-24 = 20), miss at 2% ineptitude (44-46 = -2), hit at 38% proficiency (44-6 = 38), and miss completely (44-97 < -15). Inflicting Damage and Criticals Based on how close to the required number a roll to hit is, the weapon used will inflict more (or less) damage. 0-15% is considered a graze, and will inflict the Base damage of the weapon, minus the weapon's Extra damage value. 16-30% will inflict the base weapon damage, period. Each subsequent 15% range adds the extra weapon damage again. For characters with high skill values, this means they can pull out the true potential of the weapon. -1 to -15% can optionally be considered a scratch, inflicting Base damage minus three times the Extra damage. This number is usually so small as to be insignificant. NOTE: Weapons have different extra damage values, which determine the weapon’s reliability. A weapon with a low extra damage value won’t do a whole lot of extra damage for a better hit, but won’t do a whole lot less for a worse hit. Remember that damage is only dealt if the attack hits the target. Jim’s 10mm pistol isn’t very good, so it has a base damage of 3, and an extra damage value of 1. His first shot hit with 20% apptitude, so it does only the 3 base damage. Second shot scratched, so damage is base minus 3 extra. For Jim's pistol, that's 3 - 3 or rather no damage. Jim’s third shot happened to be a critical hit. Critical hits are special, and tend to do a lot of damage. In fact, damage is increased by the stat associated with a weapon (Stated by the weapon). The stat that his 10mm pistol uses is Agility, so his critical attack damage with this pistol gets AG added into it. The critical's apptitude was 38%, so it starts at Base + Extra damage. That's 3 + 1, plus an additional 9 for his agility, for a total of 13 damage. NOTE: Criticals are considered to have an apptitude of 16% if the attack would normally miss. That means they will always do at least base damage plus attribute. OTHER NOTE: Once per critical attack, a check can be made (At the attacker’s discretion) to try for a double-critical. This check, which is made against Luck by rolling 1d10, either lets the player try for a double critical (A success) or reverts the critical to a normal attack (A failure). If trying for a double critical, the player must roll their skill again, modified for the target. For Jim, this would mean he’d need to roll the 35% temporary Small Guns skill he got for attacking the deathclaw in the manner that he did. For double criticals, rolling in the critical range again doubles the critical damage bonus. For Jim, that would mean +18 damage instead of +9. If the roll doesn’t land in the critical range, but still lands in the hit range, then it is considered a normal critical and follows those rules. If the roll doesn’t land in the hit range, the critical is reverted to a normal hit. And if, by some small chance, it lands in the critical failure range… the attack misses! The extra damage can be tempting, but trying for a double critical is certainly risky. Jim the raider decides to be happy with his damage, and moves on to the next attack. So far, he has dealt 16 damage to the deathclaw (Which is enough to seriously injure Jim, but we all know deathclaws are far more dangerous than that). Jim’s final shot is worse than pitiful, it is a critical failure. When a player critically fails, they become the plaything of the Overseer (Game Master). Their weapon could fall out of their hands, they could hit an ally, or… in the worst cases, it could explode. And Jim’s gun does. The barrel gets destroyed, rendering the weapon useless. Jim also takes 4 damage from the shrapnel, and cripples his left hand (We’ll get more into health and crippling later). Worst of all, it’s the deathclaw’s turn. Taking aim and damaging body parts When aiming a shot at a particular body part, the damage inflicted may be increased (By the modifier of that body part), the chance to hit may be decreased (By a different modifier associated with the body part), and it improves the likelihood that body part will be crippled (Inflicting various negative effects on the target). NOTE: Taking aimed shots costs extra AP depending on the weapon, but can be reduced with certain aim accelerants like a VATS system or laser sight. In the case of Jim's cheap pistol, that extra cost is 3 AP. There are six regions of the body, and each region has three parts to target. "Body Region Parts" rules are optional. If you choose to ignore the subregions, the most extensive targeting allowed is region. The Head The head is the most sensitive of all the body parts, and trashing something’s head usually makes sure that it’s dead. To target the head, a -25% penalty to hit is applied, but damage inflicted is increased by 2. The head becomes crippled when one of its parts runs out of HP, or if it has taken the player’s (EN + 1/20 HP, rounded down) in damage total. Having a crippled head reduces PE and IN by 1, and it also gives a penalty to all social skills (-15%). The Forehead Though protected by the skull, aiming for the brain can be a very effective way to kill a person. Aiming at the forehead (And vicariously, the brain) adds an additional target penalty of -30%, but crippling it causes a permanent -3 to intelligence (Only removable by a critical success with Medicine), or death. When crippled, a luck check is made by the player. A successful luck check means the crippling reduces intelligence, and a failed luck check means the crippling is fatal. Critical hits that cripple the forehead ALWAYS kill the player. The forehead has the player’s (EN + 1/40 HP, rounded down) in HP. The Eyes The basis of most actions, vision is very important in seeing, aiming at, and hitting a target. Aiming at the eyes adds an additional target penalty of -20%. Crippled eyes cause an additional -1 to PE, as well as a -25% to all skills involving vision. These penalties are permanent without cybernetic replacement or a critical success during surgery with the Medicine skill. The eyes have (ENx2/3, rounded up, + 1/40 HP, rounded down) HP. The Neck The Neck is a bridge between the head and the body. The two major arteries in the neck, as well as the most vulnerable section of the spine, make it a great spot to shoot. Aiming at the neck adds an additional target penalty of -20%. When the neck is crippled, a luck check is made by the player. A successful luck check means they have a damaged artery, and will lose 1 HP each turn until it is treated with Medicine or the player dies. A failed luck check means the spinal cord has been severed, and the subject is paralyzed. Critical hits that cripple the neck ALWAYS sever the spinal cord. The neck has (ENx2/3, rounded up, +1/40 HP, rounded down) HP. The Torso The torso is the largest of the body parts, and as such it is the easiest to hit. It is also the most durable, which makes it a better choice when armor is good or your skill is poor. Shots that target the torso get no penalty to hit. Damage inflicted to the torso is decreased by 2. The torso becomes crippled when two of its three parts run out of HP, or when it has taken (ENx2 + 1/10 HP, rounded down) damage total. When the torso is crippled, max carry weight is reduced by 1/2. The player also suffers a -5% penalty to ALL skills because of the pain. The Chest The chest is the storehouse of the heart and lungs, and damaging it can lead to massive internal bleeding and respiratory failure. Shots that target the Chest get a -25% penalty to hit, but crippling the chest will cause the player to bleed out until they perish (-1 HP each turn until treated or death). The Chest has (EN + 1/10 HP, rounded up) HP. The Gut The gut is the location of the organs associated with digestion and toxin control, such as the liver and intestines. Damage to the gut can make a player less resistant to radiation and poisons, as well as render them unable to properly digest food. Shots that target the Gut get a -20% penalty to hit. Having a crippled gut can be very bad. Rad and Ingested Poison resistances drop by 10%, and the player will lose 1 HP every 6 hours (Or 1 HP every day of rest) until the wound is treated or the player dies. If the player goes one week without treatment of a crippled gut, they will die anyway. The Gut has (EN + 1/10 HP, rounded down) HP. The Groin We’re not going to discuss this one… but let’s just say it’s very painful to get hit here. Attacks do an extra 2 damage when they hit this part, but targeting the groin has a -35% penalty to hit. When the groin is crippled, it REALLY hurts, and the player is rendered unable to jog, run, or sprint. The groin has (EN + 1/20 HP, rounded down) HP. The Leg Most humanoid targets have two of these, but some legs are different than others (Such as cybernetic legs). For the sake of simplicity, the leg described here is considered a normal humanoid organic ambulatory limb. The more complex possibilities for non-humanoid targets (Like insect legs or robotic parts) will be explained in that creature’s section. If the leg is targeted, the attack gets only a -10% penalty to hit, as it is a relatively large part of the body. Each leg is necessary to move properly, so having one crippled will make running and sprinting impossible. If both legs become crippled, the player will no longer be able to walk, and moving one hex will be treated as a ‘Run’ action (As they are crawling across the ground). A leg becomes crippled when two of its parts run out of HP, or if it takes more than (EN + 1/10 HP, rounded up) in damage. The Hip The hips are the pivot joints for the legs, and having them damaged makes turning difficult. If the hip is the target, a -15% penalty to hit is applied. When a hip is crippled, whenever the player turns in that direction all their skills take a -5% penalty for the turn. Each hip has (EN + 1/20 HP, rounded down) HP. The Knee The knee is essential for proper walking, running, swimming, and climbing. If the knee is the target, a -17% penalty to hit is applied. Crippling a knee makes running impossible, and it gives a -15% penalty to both the Climb and Swim skills. Each knee has (EN + 1/20 HP, rounded down) HP. The Calf The calf is the source of all finesse and agility related to the feet. Targeting the calf causes a -20% penalty to hit, but crippling the calf reduces the player’s AG by 1 and the sneak skill by -15%. Each calf has (EN/2, rounded up, + 1/20 HP, rounded down) HP. The Arm The arms are used to perform most actions, and while having one arm can be a lifestyle a player can adjust to with some practice, having two crippled arms can make things VERY difficult. To target the arm means a -15% penalty to hit, and to cripple the arm means a -15% penalty to two-handed skills like Medicine and Big Guns, or a -45% to all skills involving hands if both arms are crippled. An arm becomes crippled when two of its parts run out of HP, or if it takes more than (EN + 1/10 HP, rounded down) in damage. The Shoulder Having a steady shoulder makes aiming easier. To target a shoulder means another -15% penalty, and to cripple it means a -10% penalty to all attacks for the player that involve that arm. Each shoulder has (EN + 1/20 HP, rounded down) HP. The Elbow The elbow is an essential component to lifting, swimming, and climbing. To target an elbow means another -17% penalty, and to cripple it means the player takes a -1 to STR and a -8% to their climb and swim skills. Each elbow has (END/2, rounded up, + 1/20 HP, rounded down) HP. The Hand The hands are necessary for all complex manipulations, including the use of firearms and tools. Though certain people can train their feet to be as flexible as their hands, most wastelanders don’t have the time. To target a hand means another -25% penalty, and to cripple it means the player will take a -15% penalty to all skills involving that hand, as well as an additional -10% penalty to the Medicine and Maintenance skills. Each hand has (END/2, rounded up, + 1/40 HP, rounded down) HP. How crippling relates to Health Our friend the deathclaw happens to have an unarmed skill of 70, and a luck of 5. It swipes at Jim’s left shoulder, which means a -15% to hit for targeting the arm and then an additional -15% for targeting the shoulder. That’s -30% for making an aimed attack (The attack would also take 7 AP, but we’re not tracking the deathclaw’s stats, so that doesn’t matter). With Jim’s armor class of 14%, that makes the total penalty -44%. The deathclaw thus has a 26% unarmed skill for the purpose of this aimed attack. It rolls the 2d10… and gets a 26. Just by the teeth, the attack hits. The deathclaw’s claw does 28 base damage and 4 extra damage, and since the hit is by the teeth, it’s 28 - 4 damage, or 24. Jim’s leather armor reduces any normal kinetic damage by 20%… so long as it covers the spot where damage is taken. And unfortunately, the left arm is not included in those spots. Armor works on two fronts, it grants an AC bonus which makes the waster harder to hit overall, and damage resistance over the areas it covers. An unaimed attack is considered to hit a protected spot, unless it is a critical hit. More information on armor can be found in Equipment: Alternate Rules. So, all 24 of this damage is inflicted on the shoulder, and it’s more than enough to break it. Jim has 6 HP left, his left arm is crippled (as are his left hand and shoulder), and things are looking grim. He’s got a -15% to two-handed skills, a -10% penalty to left-armed actions, and an additional -15% to actions involving the left hand. It’s time to run away. Ending Combat When things get rough, combat may need to end quickly. Combat ends when all aggressive parties have been incapacitated, killed, or have lost interest in fighting. The first two are pretty self-explanatory, but, to flee battle, a player needs to run far enough away to make the enemy lose interest. This can be difficult, but there are three ways to achieve it. Find cover and Hide Get a bit of distance from the enemies that are aware of you (Like… 4 hexes) and then request a stealth check. If the stealth succeeds, the enemies will be suspicious and continue to search for another 3 rounds, then give up. A critical success will keep you hidden perfectly, meaning you won’t have to make any stealth checks to remain hidden. A failure means the enemy knows where you are, and will continue to pursue you. And a critical failure means that not only are you exposed, all opponents within 5 hexes spot you instantly. Of course… the Overseer is the only one who will know the result (As stealth is a roll made in secret), so players won’t know if they’re exposed until they start getting shot again. Get some Distance, or get some Obstacles If a player gets a distance of 15 hexes or more, a luck check (using the player’s luck, of course) is made by the overseer. If it succeeds, the enemies lose interest and will not pursue. If it fails, then they continue to pursue until another luck check can be made (The next turn that the player is 15 hexes from all enemies) It may be practical to try crippling your enemies’ legs to prevent them from keeping up with you. Or, letting a faster friend distract the enemies while you escape. Talk or Bribe your way out of Combat For 2 AP, a player may take a speech action against all enemies. The speech needs to succeed to even consider negotiation, and it may still lead to the player’s death. The Battle of Words will be discussed in a later section, but know that an initial diplomatic attempt during combat starts with an additional -30 trust. NOTE: You can’t come to an agreement with wild beasts. This isn’t an Enclave enhanced deathclaw, so bribery is not an option to end the combat. Jim decides to hide, and thusly sprints twice (For 2 AP each) to move 7 hexes and dives behind a rock. The Overseer then makes a stealth check. Jim’s stealth is a 24%, and the Detection Class (DC) of the deathclaw is 13% (They can smell fear). 24 – 13 = 11, but with a 15% bonus for cover Jim’s skill is essentially 26%. He rolls a 13, remaining hidden for the round. Which is good, because he’s out of AP. NOTE: This is a one-on-one fight. If hiding from multiple enemies, the DC of all enemies who are within their PE in hexes of the hiding player is removed from the Sneak skill. This makes it almost essential to gain cover bonuses, which is actually quite reasonable. Next turn… the deathclaw moves cautiously in that direction, and slashes the air a few times. It has a perk that lets it increase its DC by increasing the terror of its victims, and this action pumps its DC to 16%. Jim’s turn again, and he stays put. He’ll be back to full AP next turn (Since he’s not moving), so he can make a run for it if he needs to. The Overseer makes another stealth check. Jim’s skill is now at 23% from the raised deathclaw DC, but he rolls a 22. One more turn and he will have vanished. Another stealth check is made by the Overseer, and this one fails. The deathclaw turns to find a knight of the Brotherhood of Steel, standing tall with his minigun set to fire. The Burst Attack Some weapons have the capacity to fire a slew of rounds at once, and certain weapons (like the minigun) can ONLY fire in bursts. While firing a burst attack, the skill roll is flipped (So 100 is a critical success and (100-Skill) to 100 is the range of success). The player rolls their weapon skill with only these base boundaries, and then each target applies their modifiers as the attack reaches them. If a gun can fire in both quick-shot and burst mode, the burst shot costs additional AP. Let’s have a look at his minigun. It’s only got burst mode, so there is no standard damage value. However, it’s burst damage is 2 per bullet, and its range is 15. With his PE/2 range bonus of 2, that’s 17 range. A cone of bullets will spray from his hex forward for 17 hexes, with each target closest to his gun being hit with a percentage of the bullets. This minigun fires 20 bullets in each burst. NOTE: When using a burst attack, there is no bonus nor penalty to hit for range. If the shot falls out of range, it is assumed to have missed. The Brotherhood knight has a big guns skill of 60, and he is 3 hexes away from the deathclaw. He rolls his 2d10 and gets a 70, which is between 40 (100-60) and 100, so it is considered a success. 70 + 15 (Big Guns/4) + 4 (Luck) is the percentage of bullets that were aimed correctly. 89% of the bullets will reach his first target, which is the closest creature in that direction (The deathclaw). Upon reaching the target, the wasteland critter applies its defenses. However, it has a slightly different effect in this case. NOTE: The skill used for the burst attack is divided by four and added to the percentage of bullets that hit. The attacker's luck stat is also added to the percentage of bulets that hit. OTHER NOTE: If the initial skill roll to burst fire was a failure, all targets in range get a temporary +25% to their AC for the attack. Burst shots that miss tend to do more damage to the scenery than to their targets. Critical failure rules are normal, and critical successes add the weapon attriubute (Usually EN for big guns) to the damage total any hit target would recieve. If attempting to double critical, the percentage of bullets that reach the target is determined by the second roll. The deathclaw, as stated, has an AC of 7%. If it had expected an attack, it could have pumped that value up with some AP, but oops, that’s what surprises are for! 89% of the bullets reach the deathclaw, -7% for its AC, which means 82% of the bullets hit at this point. 82% of 20 bullets is 16.4 bullets, and a grazing bullet is a hitting bullet. That means 17 bullets hit, inflicting 34 damage (# of bullets x damage per bullet), and the remaining 3 move on to the next closest target. Up next is a small cactus, insignificant and incapable of defending itself. Because it lacks an AC, it takes exactly 89% of the remaining bullets. 89% of 3 is 2.67 bullets, or rather 3 bullets. There are only two targets left in range… the rock Jim is hiding behind, and the person the rock is hiding… Jim. Lucky for Jim the bullets are all used up. The deathclaw has now taken 47 damage, and it flees to tend to its moderate wounds. Jim remains wounded behind his cover until the brotherhood knight leaves, and thusly combat ends. 'Optional Rule Set: 'Reworked I’m just going to add this here. My friends and I found that most of the rules for combat were really good, but figuring out the hitting and damage was really time consuming so I made this set of rules for that purpose to make combat faster and easier. Category:Chapter III: Combat